• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.60-67
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• 2016

The gas leak and explosion accident is able to give a fatal injury to nearby people from the explosion center and interest in effect of the explosion on the human body is increased. Accidents by Portable Butane Gas Range of a gas explosion accident occupy the most share. As a result, the injury on the human body frequently occur. However, It is situation that are experiencing difficulties in consequence analysis of explosion accidents owing to shortage of explosion power data and lack of research on the effect of the human body by the gas explosion. This paper acquire human injury data by performing the actual explosion experiment with Portable Butane Gas Range and evaluate power by explosion and effect of explosion on the human body to perform explosion simulation with LS-DYNA program. It is intended to contribute to the exact cause of the accident investigation and the same type of accident prevention.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.9-21
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• 2024

Static-electricity-induced fires and explosions persistently occur every year, averaging approximately 80 and 20 cases annually according to fire statistics provided by the National Fire Agency and industrial accident statistics provided by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, respectively. Despite the relatively low probabilities of these accidents, their potential risks are high. Consequently, effective risk assessment methodologies and accident investigation strategies are essential for efficiently managing static-electricity hazards in fire- and explosion-prone areas. Accordingly, this study aimed to identify the causal variables essential for accident investigations, thereby facilitating risk assessments and the implementation of effective recurrence prevention measures to mitigate static-electricity hazards in fire-and explosion-prone regions. To this end, industrial accident statistics recorded over the past decade (2012 to 2021) by the Ministry of Employment and Labor were analyzed to identify major fire and explosion incidents and related industrial accidents wherein static electricity was identified as a potential ignition source. Subsequently, relevant investigation reports (63 cases) were thoroughly analyzed. Based on the results of this analysis, existing electrostatic fire and explosion risk assessment techniques were refined and augmented. Moreover, factors essential for investigating electrostatic fire and explosion disasters were delineated, and the primary causal variables necessary for effective risk assessments and scientific investigations were derived.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.1-7
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• 2018

Recently, various engineering approaches have been widely used in the accident investigation field to identify the cause of the accident and to predict damage by accident. Computational analysis is the most commonly used method of accident investigation technique. This technique is mainly used to identify the mechanism of the accident generation and to determine the cause when it is difficult to reproduce the situation at the time of the accident or when it is impossible to perform a reproduction experiment. In this study, The gas explosion analysis for LPG explosion accident generated by defect of the blocking action was performed to determine the accident object, gas leakage amount and predicted the damage caused by the accident using 3D laser scanner and FLACS program. We can quantify the explosive power by LPG gas accident and predict the gas leakage amount, damage by accident and evaluate the stability of the structure through this study. In the future, This method can be widely used in the field of gas safety by improving the reliability and validity of the analysis.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2002

In this case study, results of the explosion accident at MEK-PO factory were analysed by using the consequence analysis of quantitative hazard assessment and the explosion energy, the burst pressure of vessel, and overpressures at the explosion center and at 300m distance from the explosion center were estimated, respectively. As a result, we found that a cause of accident was the runaway reaction of product(MEK-PO) because of the molecular expansion in vessel and that the possibility of the runaway reaction was classified the mechanical failure(the obstacle of refrigerator or the shutdown valve), design error, and operating error by lack of thermochemical knowledge. Also, the evasive action to prevent accident was suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.1-5
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• 2017

Leaking of natural gas, which is mostly methane, in a confined living space creates flammable atmosphere and gives rise to explosion accident. The minimum amount of leaked methane for explosion is highly dependent on the degree of mixing in the confined space. This paper proposes a method for estimating minimum amount of flammable gas for explosion by using Gaussian distribution explosion model(GDEM) and experimental explosion data. The explosion pressure in the confined space can be estimated by assuming the Gaussian distribution of flammable gas along the height of an enclosure and estimating the maximum amount of gas within flammable limits, combustion of the estimated gas with constant volume and adiabatic or isothermal mixing in the confined space. The predicted minimum gas amount for an explosion is tied to explosion pressure that results in a given building damage level. The result shows that very small amount of methane leaking in the confined space may results in a serious gas explosion accident. This result could be applied not only to setting the leak criteria for developing a gas safety appliance but also to accident investigating of explosion.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.7-11
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• 2007

There has been a report of fire and explosion accident in regenerated thermal oxidizer (RTO). This paper was to investigate accident causes of RTO in the resin re-treatment process. The experiments carried out physicochemical properties and thermal stability analyses by using flash point tester, flammable range apparatus, autoignition tester, GC/MSD and thermal screening unit. We inferred causes of fire and explosion from the regenerated thermal oxidizer to prevent an accident of its process.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.19 no.4 s.68
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• pp.14-19
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• 2004

Boiler is a hazardous equipment to have potential explosion ail the time. And not only it has malfunction at explosion. it lead to people death but also secondary accident such as explosion and fire. Therefore, this equipment should not be broken for keeping its own function. And also, high level of safety should be kept in the process of the use not to be malfunctioned. A large scale of accident due to boiler explosion can be preventive in advance. Boiler fracture is occurred by instant expansion (approximately 1700 time) from quick evaporation of rater in boiler, due to pressure decrease in boiler Emitting energy from it is tremendous and it is so dangerous because of its high temperature. Secondary explosion such as fire is also a main hazard occurring at fuel supply place. If any devices with high pressure is broken, then not only boiler vessel but also components of it are spread with high speed, causing secondary accident. This study is to analyze integrally accident cause of fire and flue tube boiler to have occurred pressure fracture actually, to show countermeasures to prevent accident loss from the fire and flue tube boiler.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.56-63
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• 2015

Gas explosion accidents could cause a catastrophe. we need specialized and systematic accident investigation techniques to shed light on the cause and prevent similar accidents. In this study, we had performed LNG explosion simulation using AUTODYN which is the commercial explosion program and predicted the damage characteristics of the structures by LNG explosive power. In the first step, we could get LNG's physical and chemical explosion properties by calculation using TNT equivalency method. And then, by applying TNT equivalency value about the explosion limit concentration of LNG on the 2D-AUTODYN simulation, we could get the explosion pressure wave profiles (explosion pressure, explosion velocity, etc.). In the last step, we performed LNG explosion simulation by applying to the explosion pressure wave profiles as the input data on the 3D-AUTODYN simulation. As a result, we had performed analyzing of the explosion characteristics of LNG in accordance with concentration through the 3D-AUTODYN simulation in terms of the explosion pressure behavior and structure's destruction and damage behavior.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.22-33
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• 2023

The number of fire and explosion accidents caused by pyrolysis oil and gas at waste plastic pyrolysis plants is increasing, but accident status and safety conditions have not been clearly identified. Therefore, the aim of the study was to identify the risks of the waste plastic pyrolysis process and suggest appropriate safety management measures. We collected information on 19 cases of fire and explosion accidents that occurred between 2010 and 2021 at 26 waste plastic pyrolysis plants using the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) database and media reports. The mechanical, managerial, personnel-related, and environmental problems within a plant and problems related to government agencies and the design, manufacturing, and installation companies involved with pyrolysis equipment were analyzed using the 4Ms of Machines, Management, Man, and Media, as well as the System-Theoretic Accident Model and Processes (STAMP) methodology for seven accident cases with accident investigation reports. Study findings indicate the need for establishing legal and institutional support measures for waste plastic pyrolysis plants in order to prevent fire and explosion accidents in the pyrolysis process. In addition, ensuring safety from the design and manufacturing stages of facilities is essential, as are measures that ensure systematic operations after the installation of safety devices.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 1995

To evaluate readily the effect of unconfined vapor cloud explosion(UVCE) having high possibility of accident and risk in chemical industries, the expert system of UVCE was developed and its applicability on a real accident was analyzed. We found that the hazard of UVCE could be well evaluated from the TNT equivalency model and the empirical loss data produced by overpressure for chemical facilities. By using the developed expert system, the size of vapor cloud, the quantity of vaporization, the released energy, the overpressure range from explosion point, and the impact damage of each installation could be estimated respectively. Also, probable maximum loss and catastrophic loss potential for real accident( cyclohexane release in Flixborough Nypro company) were estimated and compared with damages of the accident. As a result, the developed expert system could be well applicable to real accident.